Hello. I'm back with the second and final chapter. Hope you'll enjoy it.

I would like to thank the following people: viconia, shrinkhead13, Tanuki-Kugare-chan, JoanyMar12, Irrelevancy, strawhat-alchemist, frozenvenus, whittney, AAA ASRA AAA.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.

Zoro was wearing his permanent scowl as he walked on the white-sand beach. Where in the world is he? How did he end up in such a magnificent place? All he could remember was the fact that he fell asleep and voila he's here.

He scratched his head as he continued walking. He could not see any people around.

And then he remembered.

And he was just glad he was the last one or he would suffer from Sanji's teasing remarks if he ever found out about it. Damn…but the Greatest Swordsman in the World just died in his sleep…

It would be something epic…

And if Sanji would talk about it…he is pretty sure they would end up arguing and beating each other up…

But then…Sanji was the first one to go…who would have thought that his bad habit would take its toll on him and take his life? That was just some years ago…probably five or six years after Luffy went away…

He attended his wake just as he attended Luffy's. Nami did not want to let him go yet. She said she needed him still. Well, of course she needed him in raising their cute daughter.

But death had come upon Sanji and took him without preamble at all. Later, when they were gathered together…the few of them…Chopper told them about his autopsy and revealed that Sanji was eaten by his own habit…a disease which was too late for him to even notice at all…

After Luffy…it seemed death had never been kind to them anymore and took one after another…it was as if telling them that they no longer have to live in the pirate world…they have accomplished what they wanted…

It was as if telling them that Luffy needed them on the other side…it was of course silly to think of it that way…when a person dies, that is just it…

As he continued treading the path, he could not help but to recall it in vivid detail.

Age sat heavily on them all…and yet they never minded it…but their lives…they have always been chased by the marines…after the Pirate King died, the Marines had issued orders to seek out the remaining Straw Hat Pirates for execution.

According to them since they learned about Luffy's death…there was no protector of the crew anymore…

But that was where they were wrong. There was Zoro left. It was on his shoulder that Luffy had placed the responsibility to take care of them even if they were disbanded.

That was why after Luffy's death, they regrouped and started sailing once again just to enjoy their remaining lives. Besides…if Luffy was not stupid enough to get himself sick with that same disease which killed the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, then they would still continue sailing the vast sea…

And that was where along their journey, Sanji went away. That time, only the Straw Hat Crew was present in his wake…there was no Vivi…no Caimie…no Hachi…they were in the middle of the ocean mourning for him…

And then…one by one…they started going away…leaving him…and Zoro hated it…he was never an emotional one…damn but he was always the tough one…but he never would have thought that becoming a Straw Hat Pirate had made him soft in the inside with regards to his nakama…

Robin followed next. She died protecting Nami's daughter from a battle and Nami would forever owe it to her. But that is what friends do…protecting each other…in fit of anger, Franky had killed one of the Vice-Admirals…

A few ever dared challenged Zoro though…they have heard of his tales especially when he was already separated from the crew…they heard of the troubles he always created…in fact, the then Fleet Admiral Aka Inu had commented that he is just as troublesome as the late Pirate King…

And despite their age, he is still dangerous to everyone…especially when his nakama are harmed…he had taken all of Luffy's lessons in him…

And that is why a few ever dared cross their path again…even with the current marine officers…they feared him…of course those who lived in the past had already passed away as well…leaving the generation to the next era…Aka Inu was the only one left from the old school…

After Zoro had destroyed five of the battleship after Robin's death, few marine ships followed them…but they still were tailing behind…watching their every move to see what they would do next…

They continued sailing and met up with Vivi secretly where they left Kaya and Nami's daughter. Nami had begged Vivi to take care of her. They would not want the marines finding it out. It was hard for Nami to leave her daughter. It was just like the way Yasopp left his son for the sea.

But the reason is different. While Yasopp left his son for adventure in the sea, Nami left her daughter to spare her the trouble…to spare her from the Marines who would not take pity on those who have any connection to the Straw Hat Luffy.

It was just a good thing Nami took Sanji's hair and Kaya could just lie through it and claim her as her daughter and it was also fortunate that her connection with Usopp was still a secret from most…or at least her marriage with him.

They sailed once again with few of them already left. Grief was still lingering around them…Sanji…Robin…and Luffy…and despite the years which had passed…Zoro would admit that he had not yet gotten over his grief over his captain's death…and he could feel the same way from the rest of them…

Years passed still and they could not live in peace for their bounty still haunts them…the number of bounty hunters on their tracks had increased tremendously. The funny thing though is that even with their age…they could still fight as if they were young…and the bounty hunters who were just very close to catching them all but failed…

Then one went after another again…Brook…and Zoro wondered how a dead could die once again…he was crushed to pieces…and there was never a way to restore him again…

Then Franky…Nami…Usopp…Chopper…

They all went away…and left him…followed Luffy in a place which he wondered if it is indeed existing…the Farther Shore…

Yet despite it all…some died with a smile…

Nami was trying to breath despite her fatal wound…it was from another battle against the Devil Fruit users from the Marines…

"Oi, hang on there," he said as he held her close to him while Franky sought Chopper amidst the chaos. And that was where Franky died as well. He does not know how and why but later…when the Marines had retreated, he found Chopper crying over his dead body.

But what shocked him is the fact that Franky was smiling when he went away.

"I can see them Zoro…the Farther Shore which you told us about in his letter…" she said.

"Forget about that and don't force yourself," he said, his one hand moved to slash an attacker from behind him, his face wearing a dark look.

"Nami, Oi!" Usopp cried as he backed Zoro up while the latter held onto the last woman of the crew.

"It…has been too long…" she said with a wistful look. "Too long…and…" she breathed again… "I want to be with the rest."

"That's crazy, you were never one who loves to die," he spat, his aura now turning black around him as the marines took some steps back, afraid to approach him now.

She gave him her rare smile. Nami seldom smiles to him. She was always annoyed with him in fact because he often lazed out.

"I'm happy to go…" slowly, her eyes started to close while Zoro held her closely to him. They were his family. She was like his sister and no matter how many times she exploited him and blackmailed him, he cared for her…he loved her as a sister…

Nami forced a smile again…a gentle look on her aged face…Zoro and Luffy had been the first she had as nakama…and she could say she knew them in and out already in all the years they sailed together…

"We'll wait for the others there…then together again…"

Her voice trailed off and she went with a peaceful smile on her face.

Zoro stopped and it was the first time he realized that his body looked the way it was when he was younger…as if he never aged at all…he turned towards the vast sea and frowned.

Together again huh?

He sat on the sand and yawned. He might as well take a nap while the day is beautiful. He'll worry about finding them later.

"Usopp," Chopper wailed beside the long nose.

Usopp chuckled then coughed out blood. He tried to sit up but Chopper pushed him down gently again. Usopp turned to Zoro.

"W-We're the only ones left huh?" he said. "And the Great Usopp-sama had survived this far."

"Don't tell me you're going to leave us too," Chopper cried…his innocence never lost…he still could not grasp the real concept of death no matter how many times they were put into that condition…

"Yeah…but…we'll be waiting…" he glanced at Zoro and spotted something which Zoro had always taken care of. A smile curved his lips… "And him…especially him…I'll tell him you're taking care of that hat - " he choked and held his chest. "Properly."

All of them said the same thing…some have spoken it loudly while the others died with it…leaving their expression for him to read…

They would be waiting…

Even Chopper who died…he said he'd find them and they'd wait for him…

That was like three years ago…

And now…Zoro indeed followed after them…he died in his sleep while he took refuge in an old man's house…he died at the age of ninety seven…he wondered if he died smiling like they did…but he died with no one to talk with…because he was left alone to complete and fulfill the promise he shared with his captain…

The last which was the ultimate promise…

To meet again in the Farther Shore…

"It seems you're fresh from the other world, Roronoa."

Lazily, Zoro just stood up though his senses are alert. How in the world did he die and did not carry his possessions with him?

The man in front of him was smiling and he tried to wrack his memory. Who is he? He looked familiar but he could not tell where he met him…

"But this island is just as vast as Grand Line, ya know," the man continued. "Just like you…I'm searching for my nakama as well."

Zoro could care less about what the man is talking about as he stared at him. That smile…ah yes…now he remembered…

Trafalgar Law.

He was just sitting on a nearby rock, his face on the vast ocean, a look of longing in his face then it was easily masked by that easy smile before he turned to him again.

"So…I heard you died in your sleep."

The response from the swordsman is a snarl while Trafalgar chuckled a little. "Mah…you died earlier than me…I heard rumors…"

"I did not die in my sleep," he defended.

"Hmm…" he jumped down from the rock and dusted his pants. It was the same clothes he wore when they all had an encounter in Shabondy Archipelago.

Zoro merely watched him as he now walked into the forest. "I happen to run into Kidd earlier. The guy looked happy enough to be reunited with Killer and the rest of his crew. He gave me a piece of advice which I would share to you."

"Oh?"

Trafalgar glanced over his shoulder to stare at him, his smile never leaving his face. "In this island…you see a lot of faces…some you would recognize…some you would not…if you are looking for something…search for the one which in your former life…you know very well…music…laughter…there is always a difference on that among different groups. And a group waiting for someone would always light a fire at night as they danced and sing like real pirates do. And they would continually wait and wait…until every last bit of their nakama is reunited."

Zoro just crossed his chest as he took another path. As he continued walking, he came to realize that there are already a lot of them walking by…some were laughing as they held each other's shoulder in a friendly hug...

There were faces he could remember just as Law had said. There were faces unknown to him. There were those who gave way for him as he walked by as if afraid of him. Man but even in death, he carried his reputation with him…death itself is afraid to take him so he died in the most ridiculous way.

He carried his title with him…no one ever dared challenged him for the Greatest Swordsman of the World…his nakama had once mentioned that one can rarely find a swordsman of his caliber or that of Mihawk. Perhaps it is true so no one had the guts to issue a challenge.

He carried the obligation to fulfill an ultimate promise…to meet in the Farther Shore…but where the hell is Farther Shore?

He carried his reputation with him so he bet even Luffy and the rest did…

Recognize something which you are very familiar with…music…laughter…he tried to shut all his senses as he walked…keeping only his ears strained…

If it is about laughter…he could very well make out Luffy's laugh…he had the liveliest laugh…the heartiest laugh in the world…

He kept doing that for days as he continued walking down the shore…as he followed a straight path…Farther Shore…just like it's name sake…

And on the fifth day…he heard a sound…a music…a music familiar to every pirate…Bink's Sake…he would remember Luffy singing the song or Brook playing the instrumental for it…the sound of it from a distance is very tempting…

The sound of it is calling him…beckoning him to move farther…and he found himself drowning into the sound of it as he walked…then there was that…

The laugh which he had never heard for a very long time…the laugh of the innocent boy who changed the lives of many…the laugh of the innocent boy whose heart is as great as the globe…it was refreshing to hear it over again…and he could feel the swell in his heart…the lump in his throat…

Together again…"Yohohohohoho…"

It was Brook's now while he heard some clapping of the hands…some cheerful laughs…

And Zoro stopped for there in the corner…around a bonfire for it is already night time…there a group gathered around it…

"Nyahahaha…"

The laugh of the innocent boy…and the music which bonded them together…it called for him a while ago…and here he found them…

He watched with a certain wistfulness as the boy of seventeen who invited him to become a pirate stood up and wrapped his hand around Usopp's shoulder and they danced…the grin not leaving his face…they all looked young…just like how he remembered them when they formed the famed crew…

He looked around…he could see other bonfires lit from far away…a group waiting for a nakama perhaps…he wondered if among them, Ace had found his place…had Ace finally found Whitebeard and the rest? He wondered if he even crossed path with his father…the fire fist also happened to be the last among the Whitebeard commanders…

He returned his gaze to the waiting group. How should he approach them? He was never one for those kinds of things and it would probably feel awkward especially for a guy like him…to suddenly have this kind of reunion…

Then finally…he spotted him standing there…the grin widening…his eyes shining brightly against the fire…he let go of Usopp and walked a few steps from them…the others noticed and all turned to his direction…

From their faces was a welcoming smile…a warm reception from the departed…

"Yo Zoro!!!" Luffy shouted in a cry of joy as he ran towards him. In this other side of the world…they carry not with them their material things nor their power…the power they held in this shore is the bond among nakama…that is what Luffy had learned…

The others stood up and ran towards him as well. Before any of them could react, Nami pulled him towards the fire and they danced in joy as the others joined them. Later, he thought, they would all talk. This time…they have all the time to themselves…

"You took the longest time among us to find this place," Sanji commented and gave him a smirk. "You got lost again, have you?"

The usual answer was the same from Zoro. He would snarl at him while the others listened with a smile. "Baka. How in the world could I know where to find you? The island looked small yet so vast…just like Law said."

And when left alone with his goofy captain, Zoro did what he promised to do and kicked Luffy's ass while the latter groaned.

"Teme, what was that for?" he barked while the others laughed. Oh now they remembered…he sort of promised something when they meet in the Farther Shore…

"Ya know," Zoro scratched his head, still unable to grasp fully the fact that he looked younger than when he died… "I said I would kick your ass for dying on me."

Luffy gave a cheeky grin. The others continued dancing and laughing and singing…their sound is the most happiest among everyone doing the same thing…Zoro glanced at him then chuckled…

"So I guess, here we are…all of us…together again…"

"Just as expected from my First Mate…you kept your promise…all of them…and the last…you have just fulfilled…"

Zoro grunted. In their faces was never a sign of worry now…their life would simply revolve around singing…laughing and dancing in the world where the souls of the pirates gather…in the place called the Farther Shore…

In an affectionate manly hug, Luffy wrapped his arms around his First Mate…his eyes showing glee…

"You've found your place again…welcome…First Mate…"

The others took the action as a sign to get closer to them and they once again started singing. Nami gave him a smile. "See? Together again. The nine of us…and we'll wait for more…for the others…"

Zoro grinned. Life in here would be different…

"Yohohoho…yohohoho…yohohoho…yohohoho…"

Luffy and Zoro nodded at each other in a silent conversation…that conversation they have had a very long time ago playing in their minds…

Promise me…we'll meet again in the Farther Shore…

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